La Païva: Le Boudoir de La Païva

Inspired by the story of La Païva, the most famous French courtesan, who reigned as an extravagant hostess in her luxurious mansion in Paris.

While La Païva was known as "the queen of kept women", she was not considered conventionally beautiful.

One eyewitness observed: "On the surface, the face is that of a courtezan who will not be too old for her profession when she is a hundred years old; but underneath, another face is visible from time to time, the terrible face of a painted corpse".